1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to articles of jewelry and methods of manufacturing articles of jewelry, and more particularly to an article of jewelry and a method of manufacturing an article of jewelry where the article of jewelry bears a reproduction of an anatomical part such as a fingerprint, a handprint, a footprint, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art has disclosed various articles of jewelry that are ornamented with representations of fingerprints. Reference may be had, e.g., to U.S. Pat. No. 964,499 that discloses an impressionable mould used to create a casting of a fingerprint image. Other patents, for example, German Patent 2903728, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,472, use hot wax to obtain the impression of a fingerprint for the purpose of creating a metal casting. U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,255 also uses wax to obtain the impression of a fingerprint, but improves upon the previous art by using a soft wax bonded to a hard wax substrate to obtain an impression of a fingerprint. U.S. Design Pat. No. 407,660 discloses an ornamental design for an article of jewelry with a textured surface in the form of a fingerprint.
The methods disclosed in the related art create a mirror image wax impression of a fingerprint that are capable of creating only a single casting per impression. Further, the methods previously disclosed in the related art subject an individual to direct contact with wax that may either create a residue on the individual's finger, or may expose the individual to hot wax and the discomfort associated with contacting hot wax. This discomfort is of particular concern to individuals such as young children or the elderly. In addition, often times it may be desirable to create an anatomical reproduction of a deceased family member's fingerprint, footprint, or handprint in an article of jewelry. The methods of the related art are limited in their ability to reproduce additional copies of a deceased individual's fingerprint or the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an article of jewelry that creates a true reproduction of an anatomical part such as a fingerprint, footprint, handprint, or the like. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an article of jewelry that can produce multiple castings of an image of an anatomical part from a single impression of that anatomical part. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an article of jewelry that creates a true and accurate reproduction of a fingerprint that is of the same general shape as the fingerprint itself; e.g., an oval reproduction of said fingerprint. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an article of jewelry that contains a novel bail assembly for attaching the article of jewelry to a chain or the like in an aesthetically pleasing manner that hides an attachment hole of the article of jewelry.